Dilettante Music

Planning an event like Blank Canvas – a classical music club night featuring experimental music in a non-traditional space – it’s difficult not to feel a twinge of anxiety about being perceived as cooler than thou. Throw in the words ‘multimedia’ and ‘installation’ against a backdrop of performers in jeans and T-shirts and let’s face it: the grooviness ante gets ratcheted up.

The reality is that moves to ‘democratise’ classical music by bringing it to a wider audience have a long and illustrious history. But occasionally those events have been accepted and absorbed into the standard concert calendar, obscuring their revolutionary roots.

Take the BBC Proms, for instance. While its less formal ‘promenade’ style might seem uncontroversial by today’s standards, it was pretty visionary affair in 1895 when it started. Cheap tickets, eating and drinking permitted, the introduction of new works (‘novelties’) each season – all were aimed at ‘training the public’ to enjoy the music in a relaxing, familiar atmosphere. In fact, these ‘novelties’ have always been a major feature of the Proms, and for more than 40 years now the BBC have been commissioning new works for the event.

This history of accessibility and innovation is one reason eyebrows flew upwards when the UK Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge, claimed recently that the Proms only appeal to a narrow audience. Admittedly, times have changed and the Proms have shifted in our consciousness from ‘innovator’ to ‘icon’. But the inspired thinking behind the Proms is alive and kicking in Brick Lane.

Blank Canvas is at 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane, London on 9 July. For more information visit the Blank Canvas profile.